I was invited by Ray Thompson to go fishing at “Doggy Beach”, Mtunzini. When we arrived the A looked amazing with rip currents, dirty water and an excellent formation.
Without wasting any time I made up a full metal jacket trace using a VMC 7118BN Strike Force No. 10 o hook. The VMC Strike Force is an amazing hook. It is a heavy duty live bait hook. It has a long Shank for better bait presentation and improved hook set. VMC uses premium-quality high carbon steel to allow for a thinner hook with the highest quality point and durability. It has a premium needle sharp point.
It is a really strong hook so you can put an immense amount of pressure on it, without having worry that your hook will open up.
When fishing at “Doggy Beach”, you need to have a longish throw so you want to use the correct braid with the right diameter to help you get the best distance. I was using my Saragosa 20000 reel fitted with about 550 yards of 50 pound Sufix Performance braid backing with, 300 yards of 40 pound Sufix 832 braid on top.
The Sufix 832 is constructed of 8 fibers (7 Dyneema fibers plus 1 GORE Performance Fiber) and has 32 weaves per inch. The GORE Performance Fibers improve abrasion resistance, increase casting length/accuracy and reduce line vibration, while the Dyneema fibers provide high strength and sensitivity, hydrophobic water-repellent protection and small diameter.
With this braid I get my maximum casting distance plus have the confidence that when needed I can pull a fish hard without the line parting.
After casting my bait I waited about 2 minutes before getting pulled flat. Once I got my main braided leader on my reel I had no choice but to straight stick the fish onto the beach. I was really excited as this was the first Diamond I had caught. Ray helped me take a measurement. The fish measured 191cm, which converts to approximately 65 kg.
In my excitement I did not have time to make a fancy bait so I put a plane mackerel head on. It wasn’t long before I caught another diamond which also weighed about 65 kg.
After landing my second diamond I checked my trace and realised realised that my leader was badly frayed so I changed it as quickly as possible. I was really having fun and it was turning out to be a dream fishing day.
I again put out a mackerel bait and couldn’t believe it when I again felt a diamond sit on my bait.
A few seconds later I was again being pulled flat. After about a 10 minute fight I managed to land another beautiful diamond. It was huge. We measured it at 212cm from wing tip to wing tip. When we looked at the conversion table I was amazed to see it weighed 86 kg. Later on in the week Ray called to tell me that this was both a SA junior under 16 and under 21 record.
The trip on the 15 December 2015 turned out to be a really special one for me. Thank you Ray Thompson for inviting me and to my Saragosa 20000 and Sufix 832 braid for helping land these beautiful fish.
